This application claims the priority of commonly owned German patent application Ser. No. 199 17 457.1 filed Apr. 17, 1999. The disclosure of the above-referenced German patent application, as well as that of each U.S. and foreign patent and patent application mentioned in the specification of the present application, is incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to improvements in methods of and in apparatus for testing block-shaped commodities. Typical examples of such commodities are packets containing arrays of parallel plain or filter cigarettes or other rod-shaped smokers"" products. For the sake of simplicity, this specification will refer primarily to commodities which constitute cigarette packets; however, it is to be understood that the invention can be practiced with equal or similar advantage in connection with the testing of other (analogous) block-shaped commodities.
A finished cigarette packet (be it a so-called soft pack or a so-called hinged lid pack) normally contains at least one inner envelope or wrapper of paper, lightweight cardboard or flexible plastic sheet material, and an outer envelope or wrapper which normally consists of cellophane or an analogous transparent or translucent plastic sheet or film material. It is also customary to provide the inner envelope with a liner of metallic foil. The blanks which are converted into inner and outer envelopes are provided with flaps which are connected to the adjacent portions of the respective envelopes along elongated fold lines, and the flaps are glued, welded and/or otherwise bonded to the adjacent portions of finished envelopes. As a rule, at least the outer envelope of a cigarette packet is provided with two elongated parallel lateral flaps flanking the bottom panel and the top panel of the respective envelope.
It is advisable and customary to test successive packets which issue from a cigarette packing machine in order to ascertain the quality and/or the presence or absence of bonds between the flaps (especially the afore-discussed lateral flaps) and the adjacent portions of the respective envelopes. The monitoring can take place between a packing machine and a next-following cellophaning machine and/or between the cellophaning machine and a next-following carton filling machine. The assignee of the present application distributes production lines wherein a cigarette packing machine known as COMPASS 500 is followed by a machine known as C 90 and serving to confine successive packets issuing from the COMPASS 500 into transparent film. The C 90 machine is followed by a so-called B 90 pack boxer which confines arrays of, for example, ten cellophaned cigarette packets each in discrete cartons, e.g., in cartons wherein two elongated layers of five coplanar cellophaned packets each overlie one another.
Testing of cigarette packets for the potential presence of defective envelopes (such as envelopes having loose flaps or distorted (deformed) flaps) is advisable for a number of important reasons. For example, a defective envelope can cause the corresponding packet to obstruct the path between successive machines of a production line which starts, for example, with at least one cigarette maker (such as the maker known as PROTOS which is distributed by the assignee of the present application) and ends with at least one so-called CP 90 case packer (also distributed by the assignee of the present application) which turns out boxes or cases each of which can contain a staple of, e.g., fifty cartons of 200 cigarettes each. Another reason for the testing of envelopes is to avoid inconvenience to the purchasers, e.g., because a packet having an outer envelope with one or more loose flaps adheres to the adjacent packet or packets.
A testing apparatus is not likely to reliably detect each packet having an envelope with one or more loose flaps, for example, if a loose flap properly overlies but does not actually adhere to the adjacent portion of the envelope. Nevertheless, such packets should be segregated from packets having satisfactory envelopes or wrappers because a defective envelope is likely to create problems in a production line downstream of the testing apparatus.
It is an object of the present invention to establish for an envelope testing apparatus circumstances which are highly likely to enable presently known testing apparatus to locate and to initiate segregation (ejection) of all packets having envelopes with one or more loose and/or inadequately bonded flaps and/or analogous defects.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive method of influencing defective envelopes of cigarette packets in such a way that the defective envelopes are more likely to be detected by resorting to available testing or monitoring apparatus.
A further object of the instant invention is to provide an apparatus which can be readily installed in existing production lines for packets containing plain or filter cigarettes or other rod-shaped products of the tobacco processing industry.
An additional object of the invention is to provide the above outlined apparatus with novel and improved means for influencing the shapes of defective envelopes while the respective packets are on their way toward an envelope monitoring station.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved method of facilitating detection and segregation of cigarette packets having defective envelopes from packets with satisfactory envelopes.
A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the above outlined character which does not adversely affect the shape, the condition and/or other desirable characteristics of packets having satisfactory envelopes or wrappers.
One feature of the present invention resides in the provision of an apparatus for detection of defective envelopes which form part of at least substantially block-shaped commodities. The improved apparatus comprises means for advancing, in a predetermined direction and along a predetermined path, successive commodities of a series of commodities including randomly distributed commodities having satisfactory envelopes and commodities having defective envelopes, means for subjecting the envelopes of successive commodities of the series to the action of deforming forces during advancement of commodities along a first portion of the path with attendant intensification or enhancement of defects of defective envelopes, and means for monitoring successive commodities in a second portion of the path downstream of the first portion for the purpose of detecting the commodities having defective envelopes. In other words, the monitoring means is put to use subsequent to intensification or enhancement of defects of the defective envelopes.
The first portion of the path is or can be at least substantially straight.
The means for subjecting the envelopes to the action of deforming forces can include at least one guide which is adjacent one side of the first portion of the path. If the envelopes have external flaps which are connected to the adjacent portions of the respective envelopes by elongated fold lines, and if the purpose of the monitoring means is to detect flaps which do not adhere and/or do not adequately adhere to the adjacent portions of the respective envelopes, the commodities are advanced along the predetermined path in such a way that the fold lines are at least substantially parallel to the at least substantially straight first portion of the path during advancement of the respective envelopes along the first path portion; in accordance with a presently preferred feature of the invention, the at least one guide is then provided with a surface bearing upon a fold line of the envelope in the first portion of the path. The commodities can constitute packets which contain arrays of rod-shaped smokers"" products. Such commodities have external facets which flank the respective elongated fold lines, and the surface of the at least one guide preferably makes an oblique angle (most preferably an acute angle) with at least one facet flanking the fold line which is being advanced along the first portion of the path. At least as a rule, the surface of the at least one guide is in mere linear contact with the envelopes of commodities which are being advanced along the first portion of the path.
The advancing means can comprise a conveyor including at least one endless flexible element (such as a belt, chain or band) having an upper reach which is arranged to advance the series of commodities at least along the first portion of the path.
The at least one guide preferably ends (i.e., it has a downstream end) upstream of the second portion of the path. Otherwise stated, the means for subjecting the envelopes of successive commodities of the series to the action of deforming forces is interrupted or terminates at the second portion of the path.
As a rule, or at least in many instances, the envelopes have pairs of external flaps and parallel elongated fold lines for such pairs of flaps. The advancing means is arranged to advance the commodities in such a way that the fold lines are at least substantially parallel to the first portion of the path, and the aforementioned subjecting means can include two guides which are adjacent opposite sides of the first portion of the path and each of which has a surface bearing upon one of the two fold lines of the envelope in the first portion of the path.
The apparatus preferably further comprises means for adjusting the subjecting means (such as the aforementioned guide or guides) at least substantially transversely of the first portion of the path. If the subjecting means comprises two members (such as the aforediscussed guides) which are disposed at opposite sides of the first portion of the path and are arranged to simultaneously engage an envelope in the first portion of the path, such members are preferably movable (adjustable) toward and away from each other at least substantially transversely of the first portion of the path. This enhances the versatility of the apparatus because the latter can test the qualities of envelopes forming part of narrower or wider commodities.
The apparatus can further comprise at least one guide for commodities which are being advanced along a third portion of the path downstream of the second portion.
Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a method of enhancing the detection of defective envelopes forming part of at least substantially block-shaped commodities (such as soft or hinged lid packets containing arrays of rod-shaped smokers"" products). The improved method comprises the steps of advancingxe2x80x94in a predetermined direction and along a predetermined pathxe2x80x94successive commodities of a series of commodities including randomly distributed commodities having satisfactory envelopes and commodities having defective envelopes, subjecting the envelopes of successive commodities of the series to the action of deforming forces during advancement of commodities in a first portion of the path with attendant intensification (and hence more reliable detectability) of defects of defective envelopes, and monitoring successive commodities in a second portion of the path downstream of the first portion to detect the commodities having defective envelopes.
As a rule, the envelopes include flaps and the flaps of satisfactory envelopes are glued, welded and/or otherwise bonded to adjacent portions of the respective envelopes. The flaps of defective envelopes are or can be at least partially loose, and the subjecting step then includes moving loose flaps and/or unsatisfactorily bonded flaps relative to the adjacent portions of the defective envelopes. If the envelopes include pairs of at least substantially mirror symmetrical flaps, the subjecting step preferably includes simultaneously applying deforming forces to pairs of flaps during advancement of the respective envelopes in the first portion of the path.
The second portion of the path is or can be closely or even immediately adjacent the first portion of the path. This is often desirable on the ground that the deformation of defective envelopes still exists during monitoring of such envelopes in the second portion of the path.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The improved apparatus itself, however, both as to its construction and its mode of operation, together with numerous additional important and advantageous features and attributes thereof, will be best understood upon perusal of the following detailed description of certain presently prefered specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.